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Do you crochet or knit? Would you like a cute little bag full of yarn samples, patterns, and notions delivered to your mailbox monthly? Beanie bags is the yarn subscription for you! For just $10 a month you can’t beat it! You can find more information and my detailed review here. These samples are perfect for amigurumi, accessories, and small projects. Share with your friends and fellow crafters! As always, craft, create, and conquer!!

Like many “planner girls” I used to see a photo or video featuring a beautiful Filofax Malden and swoon. I’ve went through three personal sized ring binders. The first was a simple brown Day Runner Harmony. The second was a Valentine’s Day gift, a Filofax Saffiano in Raspberry. The third purchase was that lovely hunk of supple plum-colored leather, the unicorn they call the Malden… Yes, this planner was beautiful. It had all of the pockets I wanted in a planner, a long strap, large rings, and felt like heaven. Yeah, she was beautiful; but she didn’t mean a thing to me. (Death Cab For Cutie) Continue reading →

Recently I have been in a Potter mood. As the months get colder I tend to favor hot drinks. I knitted this cozy and wanted to share it with the world. This cozy pattern can be applied to any chart and adjusted to fit your needs. I used worsted and dk yarns. Ideally you want to use the same weight to avoid any pulling and bunching around the color areas.

R5 Purl (or Knit if working in the round) across, placing marker for beginning and end of chart section

R6 K2, inc, knit to first marker, work chart, knit to last 3, inc, K2

R7-12 Work chart in sockenette stitch

Repeat rounds 4-12 until chart is complete, with a single additional round of main color

Finish off with 3 rows of K1 P1 ribbing and bind off

Seam together, weave in ends, and enjoy.

TIP! When changing colors in knitting twist your two yarns over one another at the point of the color change, over one way then back on the next change. This will prevent gaps from forming resulting with holes in the finished project.

Greetings! My name is Tesla (aka Yunie). I am a computer information systems student and mother of three. I love crafting, gaming, and DIYs. I’m a member of the National Society of Leadership and Success and have learned so much along the way. I always receive good feedback on my posts in Facebook groups and school discussions so I decided to create a blog to expand my audience and help more people. Join me in my journey to create, craft, and conquer!

It’s Pi Day tomorrow! A very special Pi Day, because on March 14, 2015, at 53 seconds past 9:26 AM the date and time will spell out the first 9 decimal digits of the constant π. I’ll be celebrating by eating pie.

This GIF is a visual representation of C = 2r*π (the relationship between the circumference and the diameter).

*Thesesmartfolks have pretty much convinced me that Tau (τ=2π=6.2831…) is actually a better constant.And on Tau Day (June 28th), I get to eat TWO pies. But we have to wait until 2031 to get those extra decimal digits for τ.

I have had a few questions about how to use runes for divination. Since I often make these stones and give them as gifts, I figured I would write a post on the matter to give as a reference. There are many different ways you can chose the runes for a reading, just follow what you feel is right. Some people draw straight from the bag, some people dump the runes onto a cloth and draw from them, and some people toss about their bag and stop once the amount of runes they need for the reading have fallen out. You may want to draw the runes and use a spread, or you may want to just toss them all out and read the ones that have landed face up; what matters is that you do what feels right. There are three spreads I use when reading runes (the same as with tarot):

Celtic Cross Spread
This is one of the oldest spreads for divination, and also the most popular. There is a small cross (position 1 and 2), and a large cross (positions 3, 4, 5, and 6).

This is the heart of the matter, reason for the question, what is happening right now.

That which crosses you, the problem at hand, current focus. The combination of one and two make up the now.

The root cause, events or thoughts that have contributed to the current issue, the distant past.

That which is behind you, recent past, events or thoughts that are just fading from your life.

Possible outcome, based on the past things could turn out this way in the future if the path is not changed.

That which is before you, immediate future, this will come into being and there is little that can be done to change it.

The self, what you bring to the situation, how you feel about the situation (whether aware or not).

That which surrounds you, your environment, surrounding factors.

Hopes and fears, your mindset that can dictate the future (think law of attraction).

The outcome, what will come into being should things continue as they are.

Three Rune Spreads

These can also be used with the tarot. These are for a more specific question rather than a general overview of a situation. Simply draw three runes and place them from left to right in front of you.

The left one represents the past, middle the now, and rightmost the future.

There is also the pathways spread where the middle is the focus or goal, the left is the pathway to, and the right is the pathway away.

Lastly, the left rune is the problem or issue, middle course of action, and third rune the outcome if you follow the advice of the second rune.

Five Rune Spread

Lay the runes out as above but place a fourth one above the second rune, and a fifth below. The representations are as follows:

The past, what caused the situation

The present, current problem or issue

The result, outcome of the spread based on all other runes

Help or guidance that you can expect from someone in your life

Obstacles and aspects of the situation that cannot be changed

Simple Rune Cast

A very general way to read the runes. Draw 9 runes, cup them in your hand, shake them about, and toss them upon a cloth like a bunch of dice. Notice any images or symbols they may make when they land. How many runes are face up (and how many face down if you read them, I do not)? One rune on top of another may indicate an obstacle blocking the path to the other rune, or possibly those runes and aspects are working together in some way; they are connected. I usually decide which way to look at them (positive or negative) based on how many runes are upright (indicates positive reading) and how many are upside down or reversed (indicates a general negative). This is the most personalized and objective way to read the runes. When I read them this way I look at the center runes as the main issue, and the outer runes to be outside of the main problem or situation. I also tend to look at the runes closest to me as near in terms of time, and farther away to be more distant in the future. It is really up to you how you interpret them (which is why I love runes SO much).

So there you have it, a few of my favorite rune spreads and how I read my runes. Keep a look out for a post the meanings of each rune. Happy seeing!

I began reading the Tarot when I was 13. From the time I was 7 I had been using regular playing cards as a divination tool. Even before I knew what divination was I kept a wooden box full of “witchy things” as I called them to myself. I was always quiet about that stuff to everyone but my father. These witchy things included playing cards, a special die, a few crystals, a piece of string I would use to make a pentacle, a yellow candle, a marble, and eventually a set of runes made of cherry crafted by my father…

The first tarot deck I had was bought for me by my father from Sam Goody (a music store that used to be my favorite place). Faery Wicca Tarot was a great beginner deck. I loved the art and the size of the cards. What happened to this deck I do not know. I presume I will stumble upon it in my old belongings stored at my dad’s.

My next deck I bought at the same time I bought my sister’s. It was a Universal Waite deck. Like the Faery deck, it had a small book with the cards. The size of the cards were slightly larger but still small compared to my current deck. This deck I stopped using when my current came to me, and it was later gifted to my step-mother who loves it. This brings us to the story of how I met my current deck…

My ex and I had just moved to Brown County from Madison a few months prior. We had finally made our way into an apartment which was much nicer than the tent we had been living in. We did not have internet, television, our children so we often went to the library for fun (the library has always been my go to place for fun). There is a section at the Brown County Library where there are free brochures, papers, magazines, and other material. There are often bibles and small prayer books there for whoever decides to take them home. Here I found an old blue book and square box.

As you can see I’ve tabbed up the book something fierce. I have learned so much about the Tarot thanks to my beautiful Thoth deck. The cards and book are both older than I and are amazing. The cards are very large and printed to the full edge of the card without border. I did not feel right sharing a photograph of my cards so I grabbed one from online. I had never felt a connection like I did with these cards with any other object. I had never experienced such accuracy with Tarot cards in readings for myself and others. My Thoth deck will probably be the only deck I use again ever. I love them each like an old librarian loves her books. The feeling of them against my fingertips is almost sensual. The grounded vibration I get with them is almost indescribable; a feeling only those who feel it could know. No matter how far I may stray from the Pagan path, divination will always be with me, as will my Thoth deck. The unlikely meeting just seems to much like fate to me.